Teacher Reflection

In all three of these artifacts, I have developed relevant, integrative, challenging, and exploratory units of study. The “Preserving the Past” unit incorporates all four core subjects as well as a service learning opportunity. My interdisciplinary unit on geography connects Language Arts with Social Studies with visual art mixed in, and the Greek mythology ELA unit was taught in conjunction with a Social Studies class (1). The Civil War unit and NC geography unit I have created incorporate Common Core standards as well as NC Essential standards. Lesson plans and assessments in all of these units were created using backwards design in which I started by looking at the standards and objectives students would be expected to reach and based my assessment based on those objectives (2,10).

The study of history and the teaching of history has come under intense public debate in the United States in the last few decades. The “culture-wars” began with the call to add more works by non-Caucasians and women and has bled into the study of history. Not only in the study of history or literature, this debate has spread into American culture like wildfire.

The discipline of history is an attempt to form an understanding of the intricacies and associated complexities of the past, although there comes into question which format and style is deemed to be the most effective means of achieving an historical understanding of past events. The rise in an ever increasing popular public history aimed at the mass audience has bought about tension towards traditional academic historical approaches, which for extensive periods have gone as the unquestioned model for educational based historic teaching. Divisions arise as to which approach becomes the most relevant, derived from each camps purpose and nature of history. Complications arise with the perceptions of definitions in regards to public and

It is important to remember to children do not stop learning history when they finish their time at primary school. Maintained secondary schools follow the NC which maintains that all children will continue to learn history by means of the KS3 History Programmes of Study (2013). Therefore it is important to prepare children for more challenging and precise history learning. New topics shall be introduced so it is important children have the skills to ‘identify significant events, make connections, draw contrasts, and analyse trends’ (p.72). It is, furthermore, defined that pupils will ‘pursue historically valid enquiries including some they have framed themselves’ (p.72). This indicates towards children becoming independent critical thinkers, a valuable quality to have in adult

Some would say society around the world as a whole has evolved into a self-serving society. Through teaching the historical events of the ancestors this may help curtail the negative attitude that is running rampant today. It is vitality important that we have scholars who will continue researching and documenting history.

Chapter four will examine reasons of why teaching history and controversial, sensitive topics to young elementary students is important and those topics, such as racism, affect young children. It will also examine both the negative and positive effects and influences history can have on a young child's mind and their cultural way of thinking.

Throughout secondary school, instead of accepting the facts stated in my textbooks, I continued to ask questions. Disillusioned by how complex historical events were taught like equations with a simple cause and effect, senior year of high school I determined that I would become a teacher. As a teacher, I aspire to not be hindered by standardized requirements and teach history in a way that resonates with students and evokes passion.

15. Explain the importance of situating a society’s cultural and artistic expressions within a historical context.

“History is the study of any past or present happening or events for which there is physical, written or oral evidence available to substantiate the happenings or events. Some students of history have difficulty with their motivation for the subject because they cannot identify with the personal value of history” (A Guide to Critical Thinking in the Social Studies 1). Clearly, there are many approaches to the study of an era or theme, but those most frequently relied upon in all levels of education are those which seek to present facts, documented from a wide number of sources, primary and secondary, as objectively as possible, a practice which detaches students from their studies and seemingly takes the “story” out of history. Relying upon

When signing up for classes I hadn’t put much thought into my personal goals for this class, let alone any of my classes and being a liberal arts student my main purpose is to find a subject that clicks, something that challenges me, not only as a student but as a person as well. That’s what I want this class to do for me. I’m not looking for an easy grade, I want a class that forces me to think. All throughout middle school and high school history has been somewhat of a guilty pleasure of mine. And I say guilty pleasure because so many people have discouraged me from choosing the subject as a major in college. The past has always interested me far more than the future. I want to know our origins before I learn about what may possibly be in

Since my time at Sparks Elementary I have only been able to observe two routines that my mentor teacher has done with the other 3rd grade teacher’s. To start off the morning, Mr.Locklear meets his class in the cafeteria to greet them before the day get’s started. The teachers then instruct the student’s to set their backpack’s in their designated area and take the materials needed for their first rotation of class. When the student’s have set there belonging’s down, the teacher’s line up the students in the middle of the common area, where the student’s will be lead to their special’s classes like Music, P.E and Art. While the student’s part take in special’s, Mr. Locklear takes care of any last minute assignment’s or note’s he need’s before he start’s teaching his first class. He also take’s part in a weekly meeting the 3rd grade teacher’s conduct to go over any announcement’s or strategies. Once the student’s come back from special’s, Mr.Locklear starts off his math lesson with Mrs. Sanchez classroom. As soon as the student’s enter the class, they are instructed to take out their journal’s and engage with what the teacher is teaching for the first 10 minutes of class. In those first few minutes of class Mr. Locklear introduces the topic or objective that the students will be learning and engages them to participate in the examples he places on the permithian board. He then has the student’s break up into group’s to do their daily math station’s. While some student’s do

This document provides modifications of the AP World History Comparative and Continuity and Change-Over-Time (CCOT) essay questions from the 2002 to the 2010 operational exams. The modified questions provide examples of essay questions that align more closely with the Curriculum Framework for the revised course as of the 2011-12 academic year. The accompanying rationale for each question explains the revisions.

Throughout the course readings, discussions, and short papers you have explored events, topics, and themes in history that range from 1877 to the present.

A misunderstanding still exists as to the approach of the redesign. What does it mean to teach history in the digital age where students have access to facts at the swipe of a finger? Teachers need to understand that the redesign represents a paradigm shift in the way history is taught, no longer does one need to cover it all at breakneck speed and hope something sticks. However, how does one teach a conceptual approach to history that emphasizes the application of historical thinking skills while still holding students accountable for a core of knowledge? The workshops, through collaborative conversations and the development of quality lesson plans, need to educate teachers as to what this really looks like in the classroom.

Out of the 15 students that used the resources for AP World History, 11 of them scored a 5 and the rest a 4 on the AP World History exam. Observing such outstanding results, I realized that these resources could be put together to help future students who might be struggling in various courses, like I once was. Fortunately, when I had trouble regarding my studies, I was able to go to my teachers for help. However, many students around the country are somehow prevented from doing that––whether it be that their teacher is busy or neglects them or they are just too reluctant to ask. These people, I decided could be helped by such a